Benefits of 4Gb RAM vs 2Gb

sanofi

sanofi

sanofi

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I'm currently running Vista on an E8200 with 2Gb RAM. Would I see any considerable performance gains by doubling this in all areas?
 
IMO Vista64 Ultimate esp needs 4GB, its said to be the "Sweet Spot" by many "MS Type" review sites.

I felt my PC sluggish with 2GB and that was not even counting gaming, far better on 4GB now.

It was far worst during beta testing as of Memory leaks esp the Sidebar.
 
I seriously doubt anything you had issues with will now not work in Vista64, I have 2apps and I have replaced them with simular and some go back to 2001 and all work :).
 
addylad said:
With 32 bit the system only sees ~3.5 GiB.
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Hello addylad, I would just like to point out that there isn't a set amount of memory a 32-bit system will be able to utilise, it is very much dependent on the user's hardware. :)

Hello sanofi, as you are using Windows Vista 32-bit, you won't be able to utilise all 4GB of RAM that you install. However, because of the way Windows Vista intelligently handles memory, it is certainly worth adding more memory to your system. I am sure you will notice a slight difference; it certainly won't hinder the performance of your system and with RAM so cheap at the moment, why not. It will certainly be very beneficial in the very near future.

sanofi said:
32 bit, I shied away from the 64bit version due to the compatibility problems I have about.
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I would be very surprised if you were to experience any compatibility problems nowadays. I would highly recommend switching to Windows Vista 64-bit. A 64-bit platform is fantastic, it is securer, more stable and generally faster and this will become much more apparent from now onwards. :)
 
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sanofi said:
Is it possible to "upgrade" to 64bit Vista from 32?
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Hello sanofi, I'm afraid you cannot upgrade from a 32-bit to a 64-bit platform. It will require a clean installation.

Now, you can legally use your Windows Vista 32-bit product key for Windows Vista 64-bit, you only have to obtain the 64-bit media. More information about this can be found here. :)
 
I switched from 2GB on Vista Ultimate 32 to 4GB on Ultimate 64.

It's so much better - the extra RAM makes things much smoother and now I hardly experience any slowdown, however much multitasking I do. 64-bit Vista is a really nice OS, fast and very stable. Go for it :)
 
The biggest difference for me going from 2GB on XP32 to 4GB on Vista64 is that WOW loads incredibly fast now - the difference is huge!
With DDR2 prices the way they are, it's almost a must..
 
I wouldn't say it's an absolute must, although 64-bit apps do take a bit more memory than 32-bit. But when you can get the extra 2GB for £24 or something, there's really no reason not to!
 
4gig isn't a must, but you DO get a benefit from more memory in Vista, even if you don't run apps which need it (i.e. it helps for superfetch). Anyone with a DDR2 setup should certainly be looking to have at least 4gig. If I was buying new today I might even consider 8gig - costing just over a ton it is still less than I've spent on RAM in the past.
 
id say to 100% not buy a 1gb stick... so a 2X2GB, (or if you want 2gb, then buy a single 2gb stick)

reason is to allow future upgrade to 8GB, by purchasing 2X2GB of whatever you go b4.

then you wait for the next windows that needs 8gb because of superfetch on crack
 
Vista doesnt need 4GB, 2GB is fine, swapped between the two a few times and couldn't notice any difference in games or windows use, oh sorry there was one benefit, games exited to windows allot faster. lol

Useless your doing tasks or using applications that really need the extra memory then I wouldn't bother.
 
I do not agree with the above period.

Im on Vista64 Ult with a lot of Gadgets etc and have been backwards and forwards between 2GB and 4GB (trying to get a good 2x2GB kit).

Then comes high end gaming, 2GB is plenty on XP but ideally 4GB on Vista.

Also 4GB helps tame my HDD down and Raptors seeking in Vista are a PIA.

4GB is so cheap if you dont want to buy it, dont bother moving from XP as you obv aint into the latest.

I also seems to remember this kind of question getting asked about 1x per week if not more, wonder is SEARCH works.
 
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helmutcheese said:
4GB is so cheap if you dont want to buy it, dont bother moving from XP as you obv aint into the latest.
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That's a bit presumptuous. I've been running Vista (albeit in 32-bit guide) since June/July last year and have only just gone to 4GB. Vista ran very well on 2GB of RAM, and runs just the same with the 3.2GB it can address now. To be fair, I haven't tried any games out yet, but I'm not anticipating a world of difference.

4GB is a good amount to have, especially on a higher-end machine or where gaming is concerned, but it's certainly not necessary. Never once have I felt my machine was struggling to cope with 'just' 2GB of RAM.
 
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